Examining the Effects of Explicit Teaching of Context Clues in Content Area Texts

• Main Author: Jensen, Jessie Ruth
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2009
• Subjects: vocabulary; vocabulary knowledge; context clues; explicit teaching; comprehension; Teacher Education and Professional Development
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1816; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2815&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicitly teaching students how to recognize and use context clues in content-area texts through a six-week instructional program. Quantitative analyses were performed to reveal any difference between a control and treatment group. Results indicated that students in the treatment group abilities to determine the meaning of unknown vocabulary words were increased significantly more than students in the control group. Students who received the six weeks of instruction more effectively used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words than students who did not receive the instruction. Recommendations for further research are discussed.